The parents of a newborn baby whose death could have been prevented if an emergency ambulance had taken her to hospital have told of the agony of losing a child.

Tragic Nevaeh Stewart died three and a half hours after being born at a community midwifery unit that had no specialist staff on site to deal with complications.

Instead support had to come from Dundee and an ambulance took two hours to arrive after Nevaeh was born 'pale and floppy' in a birthing pool at the Montrose Royal Infirmary unit in Angus.

A fatal accident inquiry held into her death heard evidence from her mother Kimberly, 31, who insisted she "wouldn't have risked" having her baby delivered away from hospital had she known about unlimited waiting times for specialist help.

The inquiry at Forfar Sheriff Court also heard Nevaeh's dad Gary accuse NHS Tayside of 'systemic failures' that led to his daughter's death in September 2012.

Dad Gary described community midwifery unit as 'emergency response blackspot'

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Earlier this month Sheriff Pino di Emidio ruled not sending an ambulance contributed to her death from peripartum hypoxia - a form of oxygen deprivation.

The Stewarts, of Auchenblae, Aberdeenshire, have now said they hope lessons would be learned from their heartbreaking experience.

Mr Stewart, 32, said telling Nevaeh's three siblings about the tragedy left him devastated.

He said: "The emotions one has when their child dies are extremely difficult to put into words."

One of my thoughts during the days after was 'this isn't the natural order of things, I should die before my children'.

Mum Kimberley Stewart's tender kiss for baby who lived less than four hours (Image: Collect Unknown)

"Telling Nevaeh's siblings that she had died was the hardest most upsetting thing I have ever done. They did not deserve to have this happen to them. They were innocents, excitingly anticipating the arrival of a new little sister.

"Speaking to the BBC, he added: "Having to constantly contemplate this and hundreds of other consequential events whilst trying to maintain my composure while representing my wife, my family and I during the FAI was extremely difficult.

"No matter how difficult it was I would have done it because I was doing it for Nevaeh, to make her life make a difference in the world.

"To wait for a year after proceedings was a very anxious time. I said to my wife it was like sitting the most important exam of your life, but you only get one shot at it and now you are waiting for a year for the results.

"It is perhaps a cliche but I am forever changed after Nevaeh's death and will never be the same person I once was.

The FAI is only a small part of the life I now live."

Mrs Stewart also revealed the FAI process had made it more difficult for her to grieve for her daughter.

She said: "These months have been extremely hard and no words could describe just how much these days have affected us in so many different ways.

"It's been extremely difficult to grieve as one normally would as this process was always in the background."

Montrose Royal Infirmary (Image: Google Map)

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None of this will change anything for us, we will forever be missing our beautiful Nevaeh, but hopefully it will reduce the risk of another family having to live through what we have and will do for the rest of our lives.

"Mr Stewart represented his family at the inquiry and was singled out for his efforts by the sheriff in his judgement.

Mrs Stewart added: "Gary was commended by the sheriff and quite rightly so. To do what he did with no legal training and do it so well, there's no words to explain just how proud I am.

"I know one day when our living children are older and we can explain everything we have been through in this process they will all be so immensely proud of him too.

"It is now over five years since our darling girl was born. To have to deal with such big milestones last year, what should have been Nevaeh's first day at school and her big girl fifth birthday, was both mentally and physically draining.

"That being said we are glad the sheriff took his time as we know he's gone over it all so meticulously and we can now begin to process everything with a clearer mind.

"It did not and will not break us because no matter how hard this FAI process has been it is nothing compared to living every day without one of your children."

Speaking after the FAI judgement was released, Professor Andrew Russell, medical director at NHS Tayside said: "On behalf of NHS Tayside, I would wish to say that our thoughts remain with Nevaeh's parents and family.

"We can only imagine how upsetting this continues to be for them and we are sorry for their ongoing distress."